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SF 8m 

.N58 
ed. 3 
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STATE OF NEW JERSEY. 



11' 



Ceiiiiiiissioii i Merciilosis in ioiinals. 



THIRD ANNUAL REPORT 



TO THE 



State Board of Agricuiltuire 



January 13-15, 1897. 



PUBLISHED BY THE COMMISSION. 



TRENTON, N. J. : 
The Johk L. Murphy Publishing Company, Pkintebs. 

1897. 






Jkxvrr.4 Nfism . 



iji:BE,-A.E."3r 



OP THE 



U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



8-159 



Class __fT_v__s.Z)- 









<3^ 



REPORT 



OF THE 



State Tuberculosis Commission 

For the Year Ending January 10th, 1897. 



Bovine tuberculosis is not a new disease, bnt its prevalence and 
malignity were not so widespread and severe as to attract or demand 
much attention by health officers, or such as to require legal enact- 
ments for its control, until quite recently. 

While in a general sense this disease is no more dangerous to 
human health, so far as its contraction from the use of the meat or 
milk of dairy animals is concerned, than it was in former years, the 
fact that there are dairies supplying these products for market, which 
are seriously, if not dangerously, affected with the disease, has led to 
the demand for some system of legal investigation of dairy animals 
whose product is intended for market, in order to protect consumers 
against the use of contaminated milk. So far as consumers are con- 
cerned, they have the right to demand thesa products reasonably free 
from suspicion of disease germs. 

The vast population of our large cities, aggregating thousands 
upon thousands to the square mile, become an easy prey to epidemic 
diseases, and city health officers do well to guard against any out- 
break of such a character ; and although tuberculosis, either bovine 
or human, is not considered contagious, yet the bare possibility of its 
communication by the living organism from the animal product to 
the susceptible human victim seems to be sufficient ground, in the 
view of the officials named, for dairy inspection. 

But this demand has its strongest claim for the protection of milk 
from impurities and disease germs exterior to the cow ; sources of 
contamination, whether of dirt or disease, over which the dairyman 



has entire control, if he is intelligent and willing. The vast majority 
of our dairymen are of this character. With the usual intelligence 
possessed by them they are willing to be enlightened further as to the 
possible dangers to a pure milk- supply, and are ready to co-operate 
with State officials in their efforts to elevate the dairy business of the 
State. 

But the farmers of the State, however honest their intentions, are 
not so situated as to be able to know the incipient beginnings of every 
disease, nor the best preventives or cures. They do not know the 
best system of stable construction so as to secure needed health-giv- 
ing ventilation, while securing the greatest comfort to the animal. 
They are not yet generally posted as to the effect of certain foods and 
drink on the product of the animal. In fact the former, detection of 
disease, etc., is ever an open question requiring the best educated and 
the most experienced skill, scientific or otherwise, and even with these 
the diagnosis is sometimes wide of the mark. 

It is along the lines intimated, this Commission, in co-operation 
with the State Board of Health and the State Dairy Commissioner, 
is directing its efforts. While removing from all herds it is called 
upon to inspect, all animals that are believed to he dangerous, it gives 
suitable directions as to disinfection, ventilation, food and drink-sup- 
ply, cleanliness of dairy utensils, surroundings, etc. 

It will be seen, therefore, that the work of the Commission is^ 
immediate and positive so far as the removal of dangerous animals 
from a given herd is concerned, and coupled with this is the larger 
beneficial work, educative in its character, of assisting the intelligent, 
willing dairyman to better methods, management and care of his 
stock, in order that the combined product of the dairies of New 
Jersey shall be pure, healthful and highly valuable as a food. But 
all men engaged in the dairy business are not scrupulous as to the 
character of their stock nor as to their methods of producing and 
marketing their product. 

Either they are not intelligent or else they do not care to conform 
to the just requirements of consumers and of the dairy business. Nor 
are they willing to receive and follow directions looking to improve- 
ment given by State and local officials concerning flagrant violations 
of proper conditions and laws of health, both of the animals and the 
product. And they have regard for the consumer only so far as it 
relates to the raoney they hope to receive from him. Such men are 






a disgrace to the dairy business, a menace to public health ; and they 
are unjust competitors of honest dairymen who are trying to produce 
a pure and wholesome article. 

For the control of such, law is necessary and it will inure to the 
benefit of honest dairymen to co-operate with health officers and 
others in securing further needed legislation for this purpose. And 
such judicious law, with efficient enforcement, will tend more to the 
purification and health of our dairies and consequently of dairy 
products. 

Such laws, however, should be carefully drawn, so that while 
power is given to bring the willfully careless and indifferent pro- 
ducer to account, they shall not impose needless burdens of legal 
requirements upon honest men. 

The Commission has carried on its work in a conservative way. It 
has never believed it necessary in order to have a healthful milk- 
supply, so far as tuberculosis is concerned, to test all animals with 
tuberculin, and destroy all that might respond, especially in herds 
where but one or few suspicious cases are found. In herds, however, 
that seem to be generally affected, the test is an efficient aid in ridding 
such of all infected animals ; and even in these, many cases that 
have had suspicious symptoms from a physical diagnosis have been 
•exempted by the test. 

The contention that the injection of properly- prepared lymph into 
a healthy animal is conducive to disease, seems not to be sustained by 
experience. In one herd of about eighty head in one of our north- 
ern counties in which the disease had had a foothold for a number of 
years, the Commission have made three several examinations, the 
second one including the test with the lymph of all the animals, at the 
owner's expense. Later the highest responding animals were again 
tested and one only condemned. The herd has been again tested by 
the owner under the supervision of the Commission, and none have 
shown sufficient reaction to condemn. The owner says he is well 
pleased with the methods and work of the Commission. 

Some investigators are carrying on experiments in the hope of 
showing that repeated injections of the lymph into a first- time re- 
sponding animal slightly diseased, may result in counteracting its 
further development; whatever may be the result of such experi- 
ments, it will always be in order and of the utmost importance for 



all producers of milk to secure sound stock to start with, and then 
provide healthy conditions of stables and environments. 

And in most incipient cases of the disease named, temporary isola- 
tion and careful attention to feeding and sanitary matters will be a 
great aid in stopping its further progress in an otherwise healthy 
animal. In their efforts to eradicate the disease from dairies where it 
is found to exist, the Commission should have the intelligent and 
willing co-operation of the owners. Their directions should be fol- 
lowed and their requirements heeded if permanent beneficial results 
are expected. If this course were followed in all cases, we would be 
able to keep this and other diseases in control to such an extent that 
danger would be very slight. 

As to the use of the lymph test in all the members of a given herd 
where the owner desires to have this done for his own satisfaction a& 
a guarantee of exemption from the disease, the Commission grants 
such request, but at the owner's expense of veterinarian and loss of 
animals condemned. The Commission, in euch cases, furnishes the 
lymph and requires a report of the examination. 

Some owners of large dairies have availed themselves of this 
arrangement with much satisfaction. One owner of about ninety cows 
requested the lymph test for all his herd, chiefly to satisfy the con- 
sumers of the milk. Statement of the position of the Commission 
in regard to the use of the lymph being made, he concluded to have 
the test made as stated, the result being two cows only condemned. 

The law constituting the Commission restricts its actions in that 
it is not permitted, of his own volition, to inspect any cattle what- 
ever, no matter how positive the evidence may be of the need of an 
investigation. The applications must come from the owners of the 
cows to be examined or from the State Board of Health or the State 
Dairy Commissioner. Even under this arrangement there is no 
dearth of applications. 

(The best system of inspection would be, perhaps, one that would 
require the Commission to make a periodical examination of all herds 
from which milk is exported and sold into the general market. This 
would insure a degree of watchfulness that would be preventive of 
danger from contaminated milk and a guarantee to consumers.) 

As compared with the appropriation — five thousand dollars — there 
are more by far than the Commission can treat. Owing to this fact,, 
the work was suspended during about four months of the last fiscal 



year, and up to this date, January 12th, 1897, gince November let, 
1896, over one-half or about twenty-seven hundred dollars of the 
appropriation for the current year is used up. 

If this work is to be carried on with a view to placing our dairies 
in a more permanently healthy condition, it is the judgment of the 
Commission that the appropriation should be increased to at least ten 
thousand dollars per year. A few years of work of the character so 
far done will rid our dairies of this menace, and so enlighten milk 
producers as to needed sanitary condition, caution as to breeding, 
etc., etc., that they will be without excuse for maintaining any other. 
So that our chief point of watchfulness after that will be to prevent 
the importation of cattle into our State that are not free from disease. 

The number of cases examined, stated in round numbers, since our 
last report, is about twelve hundred head. Tested with tuberculin, 
214. Condemned by the test and physical examination, 159. Total 
sum paid for condemned animals, $3,637.24 ; an average of $22.59 
per head, including registered. 

The expenses of the Commission in attending meetings for the year 
is less than $175. 

For the counties making applications for examination, number of 
cases examined, etc., see table appended. 



6 



COUNTY. 


1 


P 0) 

O X 


•73 

o 

S-i 

B 


^ a 

-s 9 
o o 

HO 


PL, 

B 

o 


Burlington 


March 20 


20 
19 
13 
12 
5 
11 
10 
32 
17 
1 
1 
10 
21 
22 
28 
12 


7 
4 


1 
1 

1 


137.50 


<( 


May 22 


18.75 


i( 


December 7 


30.00 


Camden 


June 10 


7 




Cumberland 


May 4 


3 
3 


82.50 


(4 


December 4 




37.50 


■Gloucester 


November 3 






Hudson 


January 21 








it 


" 21 


2 


1 
1 
1 

1 




Hunterdon 


March 25 


30.00 


(( 


May 29 

November 22 






<( 


3 


26.25 


Mercer 


March 26 

April 8 

" 28 




ii 


3 

28 






u 


11 


273.75 


« 


May 16 




<( 


June 3 


13 
1 
4 

13 






« 


November 3 




1 
5 


30.00 


« 


" 4 


7 
5t 


120.00 


(I 


" 13 


251.25 


(( 


December 1 


1 
1 
1 


30.00 


(( 


" 10 


10 


1 


26.25 


tl 


" 14 


30.00 


Middlesex 


February 7 


13 
20 
13 

1 


3 

6 
13 




(( 


March 20 

April 8 

May 3 


2 
13 


56.25 


(( 


332.25 


(( 




« 


November 6 




i 

6 
IE. 

1 
7 
2 
1 
1 
2 
1 


26.25 


u 


" 16 


13 
4 
6 

13 

2 

30 

11 

2 

100 

65 

13 

111 

12 

14 

2 

4 

10 

11 

20 

31 

10 


6 


176.25 


It 


" 17 


67.50 


(( 


« 19 


2 


27.75 


(( 


24 

" 27 


26.25 


(( 




52.50 


{( 


December 7 




30.00 


(( 


" 12 




28.75 


Monmouth 


January 23 






Morris 


June 19 


4 


24.37 


a 


November 24 




Ocean 


December 12 


13 

1 


13 


360.37 


Passaic 


May 8 

" 27. 

June 15 

November 16 




Salem : 


2 
1 


39.00 


(( 




30.00 


(( 






tl 


" 23 




1 
2 
3 
6 
1 
1 


6.00 


11 


24 

" 28 

December 2 




22.50 


u 


6 
6 


93.75 


IC 


238.50 


tt 


" 10 


30.00 


It 


" 12 




7.50 



COUNTY. 


1 


Total Number 
Examined. 


CD 

a 




."2 

a 


Somerset 


March 9 


200 




3R. 
1 
3 
3 

8 

7 

8 

3 

2 

2 

IR. 

5 

2 

2 


$45 00 


« 


" 9 


3 


45.00 


(( 


April 20 




65.00 


« 


June 1 


10 

9 

20 

30* 

19 

16 

2 
23 
36 
13 
23 
16 
22 

2 

9 

1 

2 
21 
18 


4 
8 

7 


75.00 


« 


« 15 


228.75 


« 


July 3 

October 15 


52 50 


li 


285.00 


Sussex 


January 24 


5 


67.50 


u 


March 6 




(( 


« 26 


4 
2 
10 
4 
4 
3 
4 


43.50 


l( 


" 27 

April 13 

May 15 


37.50 


li 




(( 




a 


" 25 

" 29 




li 




ii 


November 14 


4 


37.50 


11 


« 20 




CJnion. 


January 22 




1 


7.50 


(I 


April 23 


1 




11 


May 11 






It 


" 15 


2 
4 

2 


2 
5 
1 


30.00 


W^arren 


April 23 


168.00 


u 


May 15.., 


30.00 









COMMISSION. 



D. D. DENISE, President Freehold. 

JOSEPH B. WARD, Vice President Lyons Farms. 

CHAS. HOWELL COOK, Treasurer Trenton. 

FRANKLIN DYE, Secretary Trenton. 

ISAAC W. NICHOLSON Camden. 

WM. C. PARRY Hainesport 

B. E. TINE Stanton. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



002 850 281 3 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



002 850 281 3 # 



Hollinger Corp» 
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